Cleaner



Feb. 4, 1930. E. B.cooPER 1,745,355

CLEANER Filed may 26, 1928 2 shuts-Sheet 2 Pnt-med Feb. 4, 1930 PATENT OFFICE EDWARD B.' COOPER, OF ELKINS PARK, PENNSYLVANIA I CLEANER Application led Hay 26,

The present invention relates to cleaners in which sweeping and vacuum actions cooperate in cleaning carpets or other articles to which such apparatus is ap ropriate.

The principal objects of t e present invention are to'provide for thoroughly and eiciently cleaning carpets and other articles; to provide a cleaner for that purpose' 'which shall be easy and convenient to operate and whichv shall be of simple, reliable and comparatively inexpensive construction; to provide for efficiently excluding the entrance of air into the cleaner otherwise than through the carpet or fabric and in that way to im# prove t e 'vacuum' or suction action in its ap- -plication to the object being cleaned; to satisactorily augment the suction c leanin eifect while at the same time obtainn the eneiit of a sweeping action; and to avold wear and destruction of the article being cleaned, in other Words, to remove the dirt and not fibers of the material.

To these and other ends hereinafter ,set forth or appearing the invention comprises the improvements to be presently described and finally claimed, and-in a sense it more lparticularly comprises .means for sealing the interior of the cleaner against the ingress of air without undue wear of the yarticle being cleaned, such means including rolls and endless bands adapted to ride on the surface being cleaned and to oppose the passage of air between the two' into the interior of the cleaner.

In the following description reference will be made to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof and embodying one form of the invention selected from other forms for the sake of illustration, and in those' draw 1n s Ifigure 1 is a plan view looking upward into the interior of the cleaner.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view with the brush omitted.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on 3-3 of Fig-2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is an end view with parts omitted.

In the drawings 1 and 2 are rolls, and 3 the line 1928. Serial No. 280,728. v

and 4 are endless bands and the surfaces of the rolls and bands lie 'in substantially the same lane and are ada ted to ride on the surface eing cleaned an their function is ,to oppose the passage of air into the interior of the cleaner and to avoid rubbing action. There is a housing 5 provided with an outlet attachment 6 for connection with a suction device not shown because too well understood to require either explanation or illustration. As shown the housing is provided with carrying wheels 7 and it encloses the working parts of the machine. As shown at the ends of the housing there are end plates 8 and the rollers 1 and 2, or, more accurately, projections on the ends of the rollers, are ournal'ed in these end plates. The rollers are shown as of reduced diameter as at 9 providing pulley structures around which the endless bands pass so that the endless bands are arrangedl inside of the end plates and at the ends of the rollers.

As shown the carrying Wheels 7 are mounted in suitable bearings provided in bars or brackets 10 depending from the under side of the housing 5. There are driving wheels 11 of which two are shown but a description of one driving wheel and its accessories will sufce because they are duplicates of each other. Pivoted to lugs 12 depending from the housing 5 are arms 13 which at their free ends carry the wheels 11. These arms are spring pressed by springs 14 so that the driving wheels 11 make good contact with the surface upon which they ride. The driving wheel 11 is provided with a toothed gear 15 meshing with a pinion 16 fast on the shaft of the brush 17 which is turnably supported as at 18 concentrically with the pivot of the arms 13. The housing 5 may be provided with spring portions or flaps 19 which bear upon the surfaces of the rollers 1 and 2.

In use the cleaner is moved over the surface to be cleaned in the usual way and a suction eiiect is established in the interior of the housing. The rolls 1 and 2 and the lower reaches ofthe endless belts 3 and 4, traveling in contact with the surface to be cleaned, satisfactorily exclude the entrance of air.

The ilaps 19 cooperate in the accomplish- CTI ment of that result. The movement of the cleaner is facilitated by the carrying wheels 17 which are appropriately positioned to do that Without interfering with the described operation of the rollers and belts. The brush is rotated by the driving wheels at appropriate speed and the sweeping action of the rotating brush in conjunctionwith thesuction action eihciently remove all the dust, dirt and thoroughly clean the object in connection with which the cleaner is employed. The object being cleaned is not unduly worn or deprived of its fibers because it is not subjected to anything except a rolling action.

The carrying wheels 7 operate to hold the carpet or other material being cleaned in4 place against the effect of the suction applied to the interior of the housing,

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates thatmodiiications may be made in details of construction and arrangement and matters of mere form without departing from the spiritof the invention which is not limited to such matters or otherwise than the prior art and the appended claims may require.

I claim:

1. A cleaner having a brush mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis and having an open bottom housing through which the brush projects, having a suction outlet and provided with rollers and traveling bands arranged in the same plane and at the margins of the opening in the-housing and adapted to form a seal between the housing and the article being cleaned to afford the same freedom of motion, said belts being arranged around said rollers.

2. A cleaner having a brush mounted for rotation abouty a horizontal axis and having an open bottom housing through which the brush projects, having a suction outlet and provided with rollers at the leading and following edges of the opening in the housing and with means arranged in the same plane as the rollers and connecting the rollers at the other margins of said opening, whereby the housing is sealed to the article being cleaned and the housing afforded freedom of motion.

3. In a cleaner, a housing having a suction outlet and having a brush mounted for rotation about a horizont-al axis and having an open bottom through which the brush projects, brackets depending from the housing and provided with carrying wheels, rollers at the leading and following edges of said opening, andtraveling belts connecting the rollers at the.other margins of said opening, said belts being arranged around said rollers.

4. In acleaner, a housing having a suction outlet and having an open bottom, brackets depending from the housing and provided with carrying wheels, rollers at the leadin and following edges of said opening, trave ing belts connecting the rollers at the other margins of said opening, said belts being arranged around said rollers, a brush arranged for rotation in the housing, a spring pressed driving wheel, and gearin interposed between the driving wheel an the brush.

5. In a cleaner, a housing having a suction outlet andl having an open bottom, brackets depending from the housing and provided with carrying wheels, rollers at the leading and following edges of said opening, traveling belts connecting the rollers at the other margins of said opening, and spring flaps carried by the housing and contacting with said rollers, said belts being arranged around said rollers.

6. In a cleaner, a housing having a suction outlet and having an open bottom, brackets depending from the housing and provided with carrying wheels, rollers at the leading and following edges of said opening, traveling belts connecting the rollers at the other margins of said opening, a brush arranged for rotation in the housing and provided With a gear Wheel, a spring pressed arm pivoted concentrically with the brush,l and a driving Wheel carried by the arm and provided with a gear wheel meshing with the iirst mentioned gear wheel.

7 In a cleaner, an open ended open bottomed housing having a suction outlet,- end plates for the housing, rollers arranged at the leading and following edges of the opening and journaled in said plates, and endless bands traveling around said rollers and eX- tending across the ends of the housing and arranged in the same plane as the rollers.

8.y In a cleaner, an open ended -open bottomed housing having a suction outlet, end plates for the housing, rollers arranged at the leading and following edges of the open- 

